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Old Bushmills expansion case questioned

Thursday, 28 September 2017

Some of those who attended a public meeting in Bushmills Presbyterian Church hall to discuss the Old Bushmills Distillery’s development plans

A PLANNING expert has questioned the need to expand the Old Bushmills Distillery site.Earlier this year the Distillery lodged plans to extend their premises across 26 acres of farmland on the outskirts of the village.According to management, an increase in production requires 29 new industrial-sized warehouses, built in phases over two decades, to store whiskey as it matures.Speaking at a public meeting organised by objectors to the multi-million pound scheme, consultant Diana Thompson explained that development in the countryside must be justified by "economic need."But, she added, her research indicated Old Bushmills were overstating the volume of whiskey they could produce. “They say (the expansion) is needed because of extra production capacity that's now available but that extra capacity does not exist. The discrepancy hasn't been explained and that blows a massive hole in the 'need' argument," she said.The meeting was organised by the Save Our Causeway Coast (SOCC) group in the village's Presbyterian Church Hall last Tuesday night.